U.S. ↔ large-scale wind and solar energy

Relations (1)

cross_type 3.00 — strongly supporting 7 facts

The U.S. is the primary geographic context for the development of large-scale wind and solar energy, with research detailing its capacity requirements [1], land-use impacts {fact:3, fact:5}, and the specific regional challenges and practitioner perspectives associated with its deployment {fact:2, fact:4, fact:6, fact:7}.

Facts (7)

Sources

Practitioners' perceived risks to biodiversity from renewable energy ... nature.com Nature 7 facts

measurementLess than 1% of all land in the United States is currently used for large-scale wind and solar (LSWS), which is significantly less than the land area used for farmland (25%) and cropland (19%), as reported by Vilsack and Hamer (2024).

referenceThe United States may need to increase its large-scale wind and solar energy (LSWS) generation capacity by nearly two terawatts to achieve 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035, according to Denholm et al. (2022).

claimPractitioners perceive that large-scale wind and solar (LSWS) energy projects have some merits when compared against other industrial-scale drivers of land-use and land-cover change (LULCC) in the United States.

measurementA survey of 116 professionals working at the intersection of large-scale wind and solar energy (LSWS) and biodiversity protection in the United States found that practitioners perceive LSWS to impact biodiversity negatively, but less so than other land-cover change drivers such as fossil fuels and agriculture.

referencePractitioners from the Midwest region of the United States are the primary group who believe Large-Scale Wind and Solar (LSWS) development and biodiversity can be balanced, which aligns with the growth of biodiversity-friendly solar development in that region, according to Walston et al. (2022).

accountIn the United States, solar energy siting controversies in the deserts of the Southwest have long exemplified the tensions between land managers and stakeholders when large-scale wind and solar (LSWS) development triggers federal environmental regulations.

measurementThe buildout of large-scale wind and solar energy (LSWS) to meet 2035 carbon-free electricity goals in the United States could impact up to 456,000 square kilometers of land, an area larger than California, according to Denholm et al. (2022).